Machine for hulling cotton-seed.



J. MOFARLANE.

MACHINE EOE EULLING COTTON SEED.

APPLIOATIION FILED FEB.2, 1909.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

Uw@ @wf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN MCFARIJANE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO OBADIAI-I A. PURDEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MACHINE FOR HUIIIING COTTON-SEED.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JonN MCFARLANE, a citizen of the United States,residing at I/Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Hulling Cotton-Seed,of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to the utilization of cotton seed.

The object of the present invention is to provide new and improvedhulling plates for first cracking and afterward removing the shell fromthe kernel and retaining the kernel in its uncrushed and natural form.

vWith this object in view the invention consists in the improved hullingplates, the construction and arrangement of the parts, the dress ofwhich will be hereinafter fully described and afterward specificallypointed out in the claims appended to this speciication.

In order that others may be enabled to construct and use the invention,I will now proceed to describe it in detail, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a face View of oneof the plates. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the face of the otherplate. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view on the broken line 3-3 of Fig.2. Fig. 4 represents a similar sectional view on the broken line 4 4 ofFig. 2. Figs. 5, G, 7 and S represent detail views for the purpose ofillustrating the relative action of the dress of the opposing faces ofthe plates during the operation of hulling the seed.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 16 and 17 indicate two annularplates which are to be set up in a machine in any usual manner so thatone of said plates may be rotated while the other is held stationary,whereby the ribs may engage the seed to be hulled as it is passedbetween the plates from the center openings 19 and 20 outward. Theseplates are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the short diameterof the seed so that no seed will pass through without being operatedupon, the distance apart being regulated so that a portion of each seedwill always rest between the ridges on the face of the plates inposition to be struck by the ribs or ridges of the opposite plate as itpasses by, the distance between the Specification of ALetters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1909.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910. Serial No. 475,638.

ridges or ribs being such that the released kernel and the crackedshell, when separated from each other, will drop freely from between theplates. These ribs are made of various forms in order that each seed, inits passage between the plates, may be sure to be acted upon, the seedbeing liable sometimes, when a single form of rib is used, and all ofthe crossing angles are the same, to pass through without being operatedupon. For this reason I show in this instance plates with differentforms of ribs in different sections as indicated at 35, 3G, 37 and 38 inFigs. 1 and 2. In sections, 35 and 37 the ribs for about half theirlength are radial, while in sections, 36 and 38 the corresponding halflengths of the ribs approach as near the radial as possible in theircurved form. In all of the sections, ribs at regular intervals, as at39, 40, 41 and 42, extend entirely from the inner to the outer peripheryof the plates, while the intervening ribs, as at 43, 44, 45 and 46,begin a short distance from the inner edge of the plate and ribsintervening between the last named series, and the full length ribs, asindicated at 47, 48, 49 and 50, are still shorter leaving a greaterdistance between their terminals and the inner and outer edges of theplate. This leaves an entrance space between the plates, as at 51, inFig. 3, to first receive the seeds between the plates where they areoperated upon by the full length ribs, 39, 40, 41 and 42 only. From thisspace they feed outward between the ribs of the plates and are nextoperated upon by the median length ribs, 4,3, 44, 45 and 46, as well asthe full length ribs. Their further progression brings them intoposition to be operated upon by all of the ribs, having in this laststep passed beyond the inner ends of the shortest ribs, 47, 48, 49 and50. As they continue through until they reach` the median circle of theplates, they are still operated upon by all of the ribs, all of whichcross each other almost parallel. From this point it is desirable thattheir eXit from between the ribs be facilitated and for this purpose thevarious ribs are formed or led out upon different angles, the ribs inthe section, 35, being slightly curved and almost continued in theradial line. The ribs of the section, 36, are continued on the same arcas in the inner half of the plate. The ribs in the section, 37, areinclined backward on tangential lines, approaching tangents drawn uponthe inner periphery of the plate; while the ribs in the section, 38, arecurved in the opposite direction into substantially what is known asogee form. The operation of the ribs in this outer half ot' the platesis partially illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, all of the ribs inthese sections crossing each other atvarying angles and tending, as theribs of the rotary plate pass those of the static-nary plate to preventthe seed from lodging, or clogging up the plates. This construction ofthe ribs in the inner half of the plate is very eliective in the actualcracking of the shells while the construction in the outer halves of theplates is extremely effective in finishing the operation and clearingthe broken shells and uncrushed kernels from between the plates.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is l. ln amachine ot the character described, cracking mechanism comprisingannular plates having opposing operating faces, the tace ot' each platehaving a series et regularly spaced substantially radial ribs extendingentirely across it and dividing it into equal sections and each sectionbeing provided with a plurality of intervening ribs extending in radiallines from the inner periphery to about the median circle of the plate,extended outward and backward beyond the median circle at differentangles or curves, and terminating at a distance from the outerperiphery.

ln a` machine of the cliaracter described, cracking mechanism comprisingannular plates having opposingv operating faces, the face of each platebeing provided with a series ot regularly spaced substantially radialribs extending from the inner to the outer periphery of the plate anddividing it into equal sections, and a plurality ot' ribs in eachsection between said full length ribs terminating at a distance fromsaid outer periphery.

8. ln a machine ot the character described, cracking mechanismcomprising annular ylates having opposing operating faces, the tace ot'each plate being provided with series of regularly spaced substantiallyradial ribs, extending from the inner to the outer periphery of theplate, and dividing it into equal sect-ions, and a plurality of ribs ineach section between said full length ribs terminating at varyingdistances from said outer periphery.

4. In a machine of the character den scribed, cracking mechanismcomprising annular plates having opposing operating faces, the face ofeach plate being provided with a. series of regularly spacedsubstantially radial ribs which extend from the inner to the outerperiphery of the plate and divide it into equal sections, and aplurality of ribs in each of said sections be tween said full lengthribs terminating at a distance from the inner and outer peripheriesrespectively.

5. In a machine of the character described, cracking mechanismcomprising annular plates having opposing operating faces, the tace oteach plate being provided vith a series of regularly spaced,substantially radial ribs which extend from the inner to the outerperiphery ot the plate and divide it into equal sections, and aplurality of ribs on each of said sections between such full length ribsterminating at varying distances from said inner and outer peripheries,respectively.

G. In a machine of the character described, cracking mechanismcomprising annular plates having opposing operating faces, the face eteach plate being provided with a series of regularly siaced,substantially radial ribs which extend from the inner to the outerperiphery and divide it into equal sections, and a plurality ot ribs ineach of said sect-ions between such tull length ribs consisting of apair of ribs in the center of each section similar in form to the fulllength ribs terminating at short distances from the outer and innerperipheries of the plate, and a rib on each side of said pair of centralribs adjacent to a full length dividing rib, of a form similar to otherribs and terminating at greater distances from the outer and innerperipheries ot the plate.

In testimony whereof l athx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MCFARLAN il lVitnesses S. BRAsHEARs, ROBERT A. BoswELL.

